


and with each beam, the same old dream

by EllieLovesYou



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Anyways, Gen, Mentions of miscarriage, This is, also alice is kind of an asshole, also references to asoue and the mummy but the 90's one not the tom cruise one, and hal isnt a killer, archie and betty are just bff goals, basically took the characters and did whatever the hell i wanted lol, i dont know what this is, okay so theres no relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 01:10:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17457731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieLovesYou/pseuds/EllieLovesYou
Summary: “Maybe” she’s thinking out loud—she thinks best like that “We should tell someone?”He looks over at her like she’s grown another limb and scrunches his whole face together “Betts—please think about that statement and then decide if you think it’s worth saying again”A moment passes, a pause in her breathing and then “Yeah, okay, you’re right. Stupid idea”





	and with each beam, the same old dream

**Author's Note:**

> okay so...i dont know what this is. straight up lol. i also havent written in like..a year or so and just decided to pick up this half written thing from about a year ago. so if you see a little difference in how i write, sorry, lmao.
> 
> also um--a few things; hal isnt the black hood, in fact the black hood isn't a thing?? i basically stopped watching after season one and never picked it back up so mostly just season one is canon. alice is kind of an asshole but (im thinking about expanding this) she is complex and maybe ill get to write her out a little more in the future and decided to take it easy on hal and all that.
> 
> think that's is- if you don't like it, sorry, i dont blame you and if you do, pls, lemme know! pls comment and lemme know what you think! i would love to hear from you because it's been so long since ive written. anyways, hope you like it!
> 
> Also only read through it once or twice, so any mistakes are purely mine. sorry about them

“Maybe” she’s thinking out loud—she thinks best like that “We should tell _someone_?”

He looks over at her like she’s grown another limb and scrunches his whole face together “Betts—please think about that statement and then decide if you think it’s worth saying again”

A moment passes, a pause in her breathing and then “Yeah, okay, you’re right. Stupid idea”

“Not stupid” he disagrees softly “Just— _premature_ ”

“Yeah” she nods a little stiffly “okay”

They look around the room; white walls, white floors, everything sterile and clean. They both shift uncomfortably, they still haven’t gotten used to the whole set up despite the monthly visits to the office. “Pol is gonna kill me” she shifts around, sliding her hands under her thighs, the pressure a welcome relief from thinking for a moment—Archie calls her weird for it but the pressure always helps clear her head and she desperately wishes to clear her head in the moment “my mom too”

“My dad isn’t gonna be happy with me” a beat of silence as he contemplates his words “He’ll be happy but pissed we did it without talking to him”

“I think my mom will be too pissed to be happy”

He shrugs “Babies can change people”

Betty drags her hand out from under her thigh and places it on her swollen stomach—halfway there she reminds herself “Think it’ll change us?”

“think it already has”

 

-

 

Betty, from a young age, always wanted to be mother. It was one of the few things that never changed about her—her interests would change from week to week, she’d want to be a doctor for a few weeks before switching to chef, hell, her favorite TV show changed almost monthly (although Buffy the Vampire Slayer did remain a favorite for a record of 6 whole months, nothing else topped that till she turned 13 and things stopped changing so much)

But being a mother?

That never changed. She never faltered in her want, her need to be a mom.

It didn’t matter if she had the baby, if she adopted a child, a teen—whatever. She just wanted to be a mom.

Archie, from a young age, always wanted to please Betty.

It was a match made in heaven.

Or hell.

Depends on who you ask.

 

-

 

“Oh!” Betty beams as she sits up quickly “Arch! Come here!”

Archie shoots out from the kitchen, a look of panic on his face with their dog, Reno, right on his heels “What? What’s wrong?” he falls to his knees in front of her “Are you okay? Does anything hur—“

“Arch, shut up and feel!” she grabs his hand and presses is to her lower stomach and waits a minute before she smiles again “did you feel that?”

His face is frozen in a state of shock, he presses down a little and is rewarded with a solid kick to the palm “Oh! She—“ he feels tears burn his eyes without his permission “She’s moving, Betts” his voice wavers and Betty can’t help the tears that fall down her cheeks.

“She’s moving” she says, softly, her voice thick with tears “she’s moving”

 

-

 

They don’t tell their family for _two_ major reasons—

One, they don’t fucking feel like hearing about how much of mistake they’re making. They love their family (her with her parents and sister, him with his dad and mom when he’s in a good mood) but, fuck, they could be (read: always were) judgmental.

(Betty’s mother more than Archie’s dad but you know)

If they were not doing exactly what their families wanted it was like they were betraying them in the greatest possible way. Like they were doing it on purpose too.

Betty loves her mother with all her heart, really she does, her mom is the first love of her life along with her dad and sister. Her first loves in a way. But telling Alice Elaine Cooper about things that she does not plan for is the equivalent of telling her that her whole family was just lost at sea (or at least, Alice acts that dramatically)

See: when Polly, Betty’s older sister, got pregnant at 17 and sufficiently shot their ‘perfect family’ look in the ass.

Alice didn’t see a new addition to the family and her emotionally vulnerable daughter.

She saw the reputation she spent so long creating and building up, fall apart within seconds right in front of her eyes.

And she acted rashly—Betty isn’t sure Polly has 100% forgiven their mother for sending her away for most of her pregnancy before the sense got knocked backed into her when she almost lost Polly and the babies she was carrying.

Her father is more, or less, passive and just goes along with his wife which doesn’t help at all. And Polly—well, while she can’t (shouldn’t) really judge, she still does. Can’t help it though, look at their mother.

And Archie always just feels like he’s disappointing his father. Fred Andrews who has always worked his ass off to support his son in almost every way he can when it only felt like Archie only had one parent even though Mary was in the other room. Fred Andrews who, for some reason, trusts his son to be in the world and make his mark and not do anything stupid.

 He doesn’t want to add onto the stress

 and there is his mom who has dipped out on him multiple times in his life so whatever.

Reason number 2: it happened once before. Only that time their child didn’t move in Betty’s belly past the fourth month and it destroyed them. It took a piece of both their souls.

They don’t want to have a name picked out, a room set up and a space in their hearts carved out in their hearts for a baby they don’t get to hold. A baby their families never got to know about.

So they decide to wait this time—just wait.

Maybe their waiting got too long and maybe the fear of never hearing their daughter’s cries haunts them both more than they care to admit and maybe that’s why they don’t want anyone to know about her till she’s breathing and outside of Betty’s womb.

But no one is gonna say that out loud.

 

-

 

“Names?”

Archie looks over at Betty and his heart stutters at the sight—Betty never got this big the last go around, she never got that far; but now she’s six months and glowing and round with life and Archie can’t help but love his best friend a little more when he looks at her in that light.

He shakes his head and chuckles “Alice?”

Betty looks up from her book “You think you’re funny”

“I know I’m funny”

“C’mon, Arch!” she slaps his arm “We need a name” she looks down at the baby book in her lap, her eyes scanning every name before quickly dismissing them “She can’t come out and us not have a name” she looks over at the silence to see Archie smiling at her like a doofus “What?”

“Nothing” he adverts his eyes “Just—“ he shrugs “It’s nothing”

She knows how to poke around at his thoughts, how to push just the right buttons to get everything to spill out in one go but as she looks at his line of sight—at her ever growing belly, she understands. And she doesn’t need to poke around.

She looks back down at her book and just lets out a happy sigh “what about Beatrice?”

Archie fixes her with a look “I told you to stop watching that show—I already had to shoot down Violet and Sunny _and_ Kit as her name”

“They’re good names!”

“Eh”

She huffs “Fine—what about—“ she flips around a little “Alivia?”

“Hm” a beat “Nah”

“Olivia?”

“no”

“What it be wrong to try to ask about Violet again?”

Archie promptly throws a pillow at her.

 

-

 

She looks at her calendar, looks down at her rounding belly where her daughter grows and grows and grows and her stomach twists around. Her mother would 100% kill her—no doubt about it. She’s well into her 7th month and in less than three months, she’ll be holding her baby girl in her arms with Archie by her side.

But not her mom. Or dad. Or sister.

Betty sighs and presses the heel of hand against her daughter’s favorite spot to kick and is gifted with a sharp kick right against her palm. She can’t help but smile at that—a for sure sign her child’s heart is still beating strongly.

“Betty?” she looks up at Archie’s voice and it’s only then she feels the tears burning her eyes “You okay?”

“I want them to know, Arch” she says softly, her voice cracking “I need them to know—she deserves to be known about”

He sits down next to her and takes her hand in his own and nods “okay”

 

-

 

They set up the trip to Riverdale a week later. It’s not even a full day drive out to their small hometown and Betty knows she and Archie are in for a hell of a weekend.

“You’re coming?” her mother’s surprise reads clear in her voice

“Yeah” she smiles, even though her mom can’t see her face “Yeah, we figured it’s been awhile—“

“Five months” her mom cuts in “An 8 hour drive away and it’s been five months”

Betty and Archie had known about their baby at the time, went down to tell them actually but when time came it felt like both of them swallowed their tongues. And then they decided to wait to see if she ever got past the fourth month and then fear set it and before anyone could blink, Betty was about to be 8 months.

“I know, mom but things got busy” she mumbles out “We’ll be there by tomorrow night, okay?”

A beat and then “Okay, I’ll tell your father and sister to be expecting you”

“Call Fred over too, okay? We can all have dinner together”

“Oh, Elizabeth, please tell me you and Archie are not together now”

Betty snorts “No, mom, we aren’t together”

“Good” Alice sighs “I’ll call Fred in the morning—I love you”

“I love you too, mom. See you tomorrow”

They bid each other one last goodbye and Betty stuffs her phone into her pocket. She looks up at her childhood home and quickly drives away and to the hotel, she and Archie have been hiding at for a full day.

 

-

 

“They think we’re driving in tonight?”

“Yeah”

“Good” a beat “Hey, um—“ he swallows his fear “I had an idea for a name. for her”

Betty smiles in the dark and flips around on the bed (with a lot of trouble—how big she was getting is no joke) “What’d you got?”

“So I was watching a movie—“

“What movie?”

“Is that important?”

Betty nods “I need to know where you got the name for my daughter”

He huffs “The Mummy” he mumbles

“What?”

“The Mummy”

She snorts “I’m not naming my kid after anyone in that movie”

“C’mon just lemme tell you”

“—okay”

He nods “okay, so I was watching the movie and I always liked Evelyn’s character so I was like well what does her name mean and—“ he sighs “It means ‘wished for child’”

He hears Betty suck in a short breath “And—and I know we went through a lot to get to this point and I know we’re young-ish and so many people are gonna think we’re crazy and we’re not even together but I also know there hasn’t been a more wished for child than this one” his hand finds her stomach with ease.

“So” her voice is a little strained and Archie knows she’s trying not to cry “Evelyn?”

“I was thinking more Evie” a pause “It was her nickname in the movie and it’s kinda like how no one calls us our full names so I figured we cut out the name no one but her teachers would ever use and just name her Evie”

Betty feels tears roll across her face “You got a middle name too or—“

“Oh yeah” he smiles and Betty can see it even in the darkness that had settled across the room “Beatrice”

She can’t the laugh that escapes her and then “Really?”

“Yeah, turns out it means ‘she who brings happiness’ or ‘blessed’ and I couldn’t help but think it was perfect”

Betty laughs again, watery but so happy “So Evie Beatrice Andrews”

He presses against her stomach a little “Our little Evie Bea”

 

-

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous” he wipes his palms against his jeans as he looks up at Betty’s childhood home.

“Me too” she cradles her stomach and tries to soothe herself feeling her daughter roll around in her, probably feeling just how nervous her mom is “Not too late to run”

“And just come back when Evie is already out?”

“It’s an option”

There is a pause and she shakes her head “No, no, we can do this”

“Can we?”

“We’re gonna have to”

Eventually they make it to the front door and Betty is the one who knocks on the red door she grew up with and then all at once the door opens and Alice immediately pulls her daughter into a tight hug only to then immediately pull back and look down and then—well, she faints.

 

-

 

“So” Polly looks around the house, anywhere but her baby sister or her unconscious mom who they moved to the couch “How far along exactly?”

Betty sucks in a breath “8 months”

“Jesus” Fred breathes out, his eyes can’t help but be drawn to Betty’s swollen belly “Jesus Christ, Archie”

“I know, Dad”

“How could you not tell us?” he stands up a little abruptly, making the chair scrape against the floor and Betty jump slightly “How could you keep this from us?”

“Are you two—“ Hal pauses “Together?”

“No, no—“ Betty answers “We’re not”

Polly raises an eyebrow “then how—“

“Turkey baster baby” Archie supplies, quickly

“So you were trying to get pregnant?” everyone looks to Alice whose eyes were still closed but it looks like it was a choice now “You were trying to wreck your life?”

“Mom—“

“No, Elizabeth” Alice sits up “How could you do this? How could you set out and ruin your life?”

“Mom—“

“You are 23!” the Cooper matriarch yells sharply “You live with a roommate still, you aren’t with the father, you’re still in school, you struggle there! How could you even think bringing a baby into this world would be a good idea!” Betty feels tears roll down her cheek and Archie’s hand slips into her own and her daughter kicks her favorite spot and, yet, she doesn’t feel an ounce of comfort. “You are done being reckless, Elizabeth. You will move home, have this child and give it to a family who can raise it right”

“Mom—“

“I don’t care if you don’t live under my roof” Alice cuts her daughter’s argument off before she can even get a word in “You are still my child and this is me looking out for you” she spares a glance at Archie “the both of you”

Archie feels his stomach twist with anger at his defeated Betty looks—the first baby, their son, had been the product of one too many shots and bad decisions. But they loved him, they loved picking out his name and preparing for him and telling their close friends about him. They were scared shitless at 21 years old but so happy.

And then Betty started bleeding. And then they told them their son no longer had a heartbeat. And how Betty would still have to push him out. And he was the only one there with her because they never got a chance to tell her family or his dad.

They went through hell and back with losing him.

Their daughter wasn’t a choice they made lightly. Wasn’t a choice they made out of grief and hurt as a way to replace their son (no one could replace him) She wasn’t going to ruin their lives, she was going to make them beautiful in the way their son did for his short time with them.

And Archie wouldn’t let them ruin their chance at being happy with her.

“Betty” he stands up, pulling her up by her hand “We’re leaving”

“Archie—“ Fred starts softly but the younger Andrews cuts him off

“No, Dad, we’re leaving” he squares Alice with a glare “We’re not moving back, we’re not giving our daughter away, we’re not losing another child”

Polly looks like she was just slapped in the face “Wait—“

“Betty and I made a decision. A grown up decision. We have planned for this baby and made sure we are prepared for this baby. We are ready despite what any of you think—we love this child and plan to raise this child” Betty squeezes his hand, tightly “If you don’t wanna be a part of that, then it’s your own loss” he turns, gently tugging Betty along and doesn’t stop till they’re at the car, ignoring everyone’s yells.

He shuts the door to Betty’s side when he hears Polly’s voice “Archie, wait, please!” he turns to see the oldest Cooper sister running down the steps of her family’s house, she runs till she’s right in front of him “You—“ she sighs “You said another child”

Archie’s heart aches.

“Polly—“

“His name was Jude” somehow Betty opened the door without either of them noticing “We first felt him move when ‘Hey, Jude’ was playing and it just felt right” Polly’s face is stricken with sadness while Betty climbs out of the car.

“Oh, Betts”

“He wasn’t planned. It just happened. We had planned to tell you at maybe five months or something, but then—one night” Betty’s voice cracks “He just died”

Archie feels a pang of sadness punch him square in the chest “Doctors said it wasn’t anyone’s fault for any one reason. Just happens sometimes”

“We waited a year before making any decisions and then decided to trek into maybe doing it again” Betty sighs “Polly, we know it sounds crazy, we know but it felt—it _feels_ right” she places a hand on her stomach “She isn’t a mistake, Pol. We are ready for her”

Polly waits a beat and then wraps her baby sister into as tight a hug as she can manage with the belly between them. Betty doesn’t hesitate to hug her back with as much strength as she can manage “I’m so sorry, baby” Polly kisses the side of her sister’s head “You should never have to had gone through that” Betty lets out a soft sob against her sister’s shoulder.

“And I’m so happy you get to have her” she pulls pack and places a gentle hand on her sister’s belly “You’ll be an amazing mom”

Betty smiles “Thank you, Pol”

“And—“ she spares a glance over her shoulder “Don’t worry about mom. She’ll come around just like she did with Jamie and Charlie, it’ll just take her a minute to adjust”

Archie sighs and Betty voices the thought that had been banging around his head from the moment Alice spit those words out at him and Betty “I don’t know if I want that around her, Pol” Betty looks pained at the admission

 “Mom is always just a word away from a blow up and she—“ she looks down “She doesn’t deserve to be looked down on by her grandmother just cause of how she came about”

Polly sighs and looks like she understands, her twins don’t spend that much time with their grandma and grandpa unsupervised just because she never wants her son or daughter to have careless words flung at them. Hell, Polly moved to Greendale just a few months after they were born to give them some space from their family (both sides).

“You just do what’s right for her, Betts” Polly offers her a smile “She’s your main priority—not mom”

“I will” they hug, one last time, and Polly makes Betty promise to call when she’s born so she can bring the twins up to see their new cousin and she can meet her niece. With a last ‘I love you’ and promises of being a better family to each other, Archie and Betty go back to the hotel.

 

-

 

Fred calls and calls and calls and eventually Archie picks up and Fred skips the formalities and lets his apology pour out of him and begs to be there for him and his daughter. Archie cries out the yes softly and promises to be back after she is born.

Polly calls and Betty picks up right away—her big sister admits to wanting to be a little farther away from their mother and asks if she knows anywhere she could live, closer to Archie and Betty. The youngest Cooper smiles, beams, and offers their spare room for the time being.

Hal calls once and when Betty listens to the voicemail, her heart breaks at her dad’s tear filled voice promising to be better for his granddaughter and his baby girl.

Alice calls and calls and calls. Betty never picks up or listens to the voicemails she leaves.

 

_

 

Betty and Archie leave the next day and with both some sadness and happiness in their hearts, head home to their dog and apartment and look forward to next chapter of their lives. Just them and their little Evie Bea.

  

**Author's Note:**

> was it too weird?? hope not! hope you liked it! ill plug my tumblr even tho i dont use it that much anymore- josephinewilson.tumblr.com
> 
> pls comment! <3


End file.
